WAREHAM I ITS INVASIONS AND BATTLES. 87 



was two millions, and the area of Wareham is just under four 

 millions of square feet. 



(b.) The lie of the principal streets in both Gloucester and 

 Wareham is the same, not only the four main ones, but the smaller 

 cross streets in the N.W. angle especially. 



(c.) The streets and blocks in the Castra Pretorsana at Home, 

 built in the reign of Tiberius, correspond precisely with the ones 

 I now refer to in Wareham and Gloster." 



We are indebted to Mr. Bellows for valuable light on this subject, 

 and much in the locality supports his theory. According to 

 Hutchins, Poole, as a town, was not known in the British, Roman, 

 Saxon, Danish, or Norman periods. He acknowledges the existence 

 of a Roman road or way to the bay, and adds " This may be an 

 argument to prove that the Romans used this spot as a convenient 

 landing place. In the middle of the North Wall there is an 

 extraordinary opening ; the north entrance to the town, probably 

 not natural. From the top of North-street the descent is very 

 rapid ; the ascent east and west on either side, where roads are cut 

 from the bottom by which the wall on either side is gained, is very 

 steep, but it will be observed that the tops of these ascents, as well 

 as that leading into the town, are about level. From the top of 

 North-street there is a gradual decline to the river (once sea) at the 

 bottom of South-street. An investigation of the locality suggests 

 the probability that : 



(1.) The foundation of this was originally a straight, natural 

 wall or bank of earth with the sea at its base. On this what is 

 known as the North Wall was erected. 



(2.) That the Romans saw the advantage of an opening and cut 

 it. Prior to this an entrance would have been made by the more 

 shallow water east and south of the town. 



The cutting would afford employment for the Roman soldiers, 

 whilst the earth from this opening and from the remarkable ditch 

 at the base of the West Wall would have provided much material 

 for the erection of the earthworks which partly surround the town. 

 If the enormous quantity of earth removed herefrom was actually 



